


Robbed

by tattooeddevil



Category: 30 Seconds to Mars
Genre: Gen, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-13
Updated: 2013-01-10
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/510957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tattooeddevil/pseuds/tattooeddevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim runs. No one knows why exactly, just that he doesn't want to talk. One night, he runs and can't be found.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Robbed (1)

After four days, Shannon finally finds him. In the darkest, gloomiest bar in town. He is sitting at the far end of the bar, a bottle of Jack Daniels in front of him, already three quarters empty. He doesn’t seem to hear anything thing around him, lost in his own head. He just sits there, downing the bottle of Jack.

Shannon silently sits himself down on the barstool next to Tim, gesturing the bartender for a glass. He pours himself a few fingers of whiskey and sets the bottle back in front of Tim. Tim doesn’t acknowledge Shannon’s presence at all, not even blinking. He just stares ahead, eyes unseeing, mind reeling.

Shannon’s not sure if he should say or do anything, but it looks like Tim won’t talk anyway. So he stays quiet until the bottle is empty. Half an hour has passed without either of them speaking a word, but he knows Tim appreciates his presence. Else he would have taken off already, like he did so many days ago.

Shannon gets up from his barstool and puts his jacket on. Without a word, Tim gets up too and puts on his coat. Tim follows him out the door and to his car, parked a few blocks away. They get in, in silence, not a word uttered by the time they reach the house. Shannon didn’t even ask Tim if he wanted to spend the night at Shannon and Jared’s house, he just took him there, knowing Tim shouldn’t be alone tonight. Even if he wanted to.

He gets out and walks to the front door, expecting Tim to follow. When he turns around to look at Tim, he’s not there though. Shannon walks back to the car and opens the passenger side’s door. He softly takes Tim by the arm and helps him out of the car and to the front door. Inside, he takes Tim’s coat and shoes off and guides him to the couch in the living room. Shannon then takes off his own jacket and shoes and calls upstairs for his brother.

“Jay, I found him.”

Jared comes hurrying down, joining his brother in the doorway to the living room, watching Tim sit there, staring into nothing, his back straight as an arrow.

“Where’d you find him?”

“Some seedy bar downtown.”

“Has he said anything?”

“No.”

They fall silent for a few moments until Jared’s phone rings in his pocket. He answers it quickly when he sees it’s Tim’s family in Arizona.

“Mrs. Kelleher, good news. We found him. No, not the police, Shannon found him in a bar. Yes, he’s fine. When do you arrive? Okay, I’ll come pick you up. Or maybe Shannon. Either way, don’t take a taxi, someone will pick you up. I will. Goodnight, Mrs. Kelleher.”

Shannon raises a questioning eyebrow when Jared hangs up.

“When do they arrive?”

“Day after tomorrow. Just one flight a week, tomorrow is the first opportunity to get off the island. So much for a relaxing vacation.”

“Yeah. Alright, I’ll pick them up then.”

Jared nods at Shannon before walking in the room to sit next to Tim on the couch. Tim doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, doesn’t acknowledge Jared at all. Jared puts his hand on Tim’s; it’s freezing cold. He searches Tim’s face for any kind of sign, uncertain of what to do, but there is nothing but a blank stare. Jared slides off the couch and crouches down in front of Tim, forcing Tim with a hand under his chin to look at him. His eyes meet cold, empty ones.

“Tim? Say something, anything. Are you okay?”

Something happens in Tim’s eyes, Jared can’t quite make out what, but he finally responds. Tim shakes his head slowly, his eyes finally focusing on Jared’s, widening. Jared can see the tears welling up, but not falling. Then, Tim’s eyes glaze over again and he’s gone. Back inside his head, crawling into himself.

Tim drifts off again and Jared sighs. He wishes there was something he could, do something to reach Tim and help him, but he is not letting Jared in. But at least he’s here, in their house, not somewhere on the streets running away and Jared clings to that. He decides he can’t do anything right now and looks over his shoulder to Shannon.

“I think we should put him to bed. Can you check if the guest bed is ready? I think he also needs a shower.”

Shannon nods and disappears upstairs. Jared gets to his feet and helps Tim off the couch, linking his arms around his waist. Tim blinks a few times before focusing his eyes on Jared.

“I know you can walk by yourself, but just let me help you, okay? Just this once.”

Tim’s eyes glaze over again as he slowly nods. His head lolls sideways on Jared’s shoulder, as if he can’t keep it up any longer. Jared suspects that is actually the case; Tim’s probably been roaming the streets without sleep the past few days he’s been AWOL. He makes a mental note to call his family and the police to tell them Tim’s back.

Jared helps Tim to the bathroom on the first floor where Shannon has already started the shower. He sits Tim down on the closed toilet seat with a steadying hand on his shoulder. Tim doesn’t look like he can keep his eyes open, much less shower himself.

“I think we need to do it for him.”

Shannon looks sceptical, but Tim really does look dirty and he smells like the bar he found him in and worse.

“Yeah, okay.”

Together, pull him up and quickly undress him.

“Can you stand on your own, Tim?”

Tim doesn’t respond, but they can’t really hold him up and also clean him at the same time. Jared meets Shannon’s eyes over Tim’s shoulder. Shannon nods and they both step away from a swaying Tim. He’s a little shaky on his legs, but he stands. Both men eye Tim a little suspiciously, but when he hasn’t fallen down after a few minutes, they quickly move him under the spray of the shower and wash him. His body is dirty, he’s still wearing the same clothes from the day he went missing. When Jared starts washing his hair, Tim’s eyes fall shut and his head falls forward. Shannon quickly steadies him, seeing his legs shake and give way.

“I’ll hold him up, you rinse him off. He can’t take much more. He must be exhausted.”

Jared quickly rinses Tim off before Shannon grabs a large towel and wraps it around Tim’s shivering body. He pushes his shoulder under Tim’s arm and steers him to the guestroom and dries him off before putting one of his shirts and boxers on Tim. Jared opens the covers and Shannon pushes Tim down softly. They watch him lay there for a moment, eyes wide open, body rigid, before turning off the lights.

Jared kneels next to the bed and softly touches Tim’s arm to get his attention.

“Go to sleep Tim. Just yell if you need anything, we’re right here. I’ll leave the door open, okay? Sleep tight.”

He watches Tim’s face for a few seconds before getting up. With a last glance at the still form in the bed, they leave the room to dry themselves off and head downstairs. Shannon immediately calls the police to tell them Tim’s back.

“I found him in a bar downtown. I don’t know, but he’s here now, we just put him to bed. No, he hasn’t said anything. I don’t think that’s necessary, he doesn’t seem to be hurt or wounded. Yes, I will, as soon as I can. Thank you officer, for everything. Good night.”

Jared looks at his brother questioningly.

“He says to keep a close eye on him in case he’s not well and to come by the station tomorrow. He hopes he can tell them what exactly happened.”

Jared snorts sarcastically.

“Do they not understand what a mess he is? He is in no state to be questioned.”

Shannon nods and plops down on the couch with a tired sigh.

“I know, but it’s their job Jay. I’ll take him tomorrow and see what happens.”

Jared nods and sits down next to his brother, both staring into the distance for a few minutes. They haven’t slept in four days, constantly roaming the streets looking for their best friend, both worried sick thinking of what had happened to him.


	2. Robbed (2)

While in LA for a few days of rest and relaxation between shows, Tim had gotten stuck in a bank robbery that spiraled into a hostage situation and murder. He had been forced to undress to his underwear, together with nine other hostages. The robbers had held them at gunpoint, threatening to shoot if they didn’t comply with their demands. When after a few hours one of the hostages didn’t move fast enough, she was shot in the head. Tim had been sitting next to the girl that got shot, inches away from the deadly bullet. It had been broadcasted live on TV, a news camera getting the perfect view from across the street.

When the cops had finally ended the hostage, Jared, Shannon and Tomo had rushed to the scene to see if Tim was alright. His family was on holiday in the Caribbean and wasn’t able to fly out immediately. They had asked Jared and Shannon to take him to their house. But once there, in an unwatched moment, Tim had run off. They had spent hours searching for Tim. They informed the police of his disappearance and the circumstances and asked for help, but he wasn’t found. The three men, together with the police, had spent days searching for him, desperately not trying to think of all the bad things that could have happened to their friend. And then Shannon had finally found him and they had Tim back.

“I have never seen him so lost.”

Shannon sounds pained, desperate and powerless. Jared knows he blames himself for letting Tim out of his sight, but really they are both at fault. And deep down they both know no one could have expected him to run. One minute he was sitting at the diningroom table and the next he was out the door, no one had seen him move. All they can do now is watch Tim, help him as best as they can, try and get their friend back in one piece.

“I know. I don’t know what to do, he won’t let me in.”

“We need to give him some time to process Jay, then he’ll come back to us. I know he will. We’ll get him help, his family will come and he’ll get over this.”

Jared hears the conviction in Shannon’s voice. He wants to believe, but right now he is too pessimistic. He gets up with a sigh.

“I am going to check up on him and head to bed. You need to get some sleep too, you look like hell.”

Shannon groans in response.

“Thanks. I’m heading up later, I’m gonna call Tomo, let him know what’s happening.”

Jared slowly climbs the stairs, the exhaustion finally reaching his limbs and mind. He sticks his head around Tim’s bedroom door. Tim’s lying in the same position they left him in; eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Jared sighs, again wishing he could do something, but he knows there is nothing; he can’t force Tim. He retreats to his bedroom, quickly texts Emma, who had been holding down the 30 Seconds To Mars fort the past days, to tell her Tim’s back and is almost immediately asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

Shannon picks up his phone and speed dials Tomo. He and Vicky had to leave for Michigan yesterday, a relative of Tomo passed away and his family needed him to be at the funeral. He’d been torn, didn’t want to leave Tim behind, but Jared and Shannon had assured him it would be okay.

“Shan?”

“Yeah.”

Tomo wastes no time on small talk, fear and desperation evident in his voice.

“Tell me you found him!”

“We found him.”

“Thank fucking god. How is he doing?”

Shannon sighs.

“He’s not hurt, physically anyway, but he’s really out of it. He won’t talk, hardly responds to anything. He’s in bed now, but I doubt he’s sleeping.”

“Right. God, this is all my fault.”

Shannon frowns. Tomo’s fault? How could it be Tomo’s fault? He asks his friend just that.

“Tim’s been looking for a place in LA and I set up a meeting with my financial planner at the bank that day for him. God, if I hadn’t set that up, he wouldn’t have been…”

Shannon interrupts Tomo resolutely.

“Tome, stop it. You could not have known this would happen. It is not your fault okay?”

When Tomo doesn’t answer for a long time, Shannon tries again.

“Tomo? Okay? Not your fault.”

He hears Tomo sigh resigned.

“Yeah, okay. I gotta go Shan, mom and dad…”

“Yeah, go. Hug Vicky for me okay?”

“Will do. Take care of him, Shan.”

“Of course.”

Shannon heads to bed, his body ready for a long night’s sleep, but wakes up with a shock at 2 am. He immediately senses there is someone in his room. He sits up in bed and flicks on his nightlight. Tim’s shaking frame is standing a few feet from his bed, his wide open eyes fixed on Shannon.

“Tim?”

When Tim doesn’t respond to his name, Shannon quickly gets out of bed and hurries towards him. His eyes follow Shannon through the room, never leaving his face. When Shannon comes close he can see Tim’s terrified, shaking like a straw. He puts a hand on Tim’s arm carefully, not wanting to startle him, and urges Tim to the side of his bed to sit him down. Shannon kneels in front of him, quickly checking Tim over to make sure he is not physically hurt, his eyes still fixed on Shannon’s face.

When Tim suddenly lifts his left hand and touches Shannon’s cheek, Shannon almost jumps out of his skin. Tim’s fingers trace his face, his lips, his nose, Tim’s eyes never leaving his. When he speaks, his voice is soft and broken, no more than a whisper.

“I had a nightmare.”

Shannon nods, he figured as much. He contemplates what to do for a few moments, unsure of how to deal with things. When they were young, Jared used to have nightmares and he’d crawl into bed with Shannon, but Tim’s not five and Shannon’s not his big brother. On the other hand, it might make him sleep more peacefully, so what if it’s slightly weird for two grown men to sleep in the same bed?

Shannon smiles at Tim soothingly.

“Why don’t you stay with me then? Just for the night, my bed’s big enough.”

It takes ages for Tim to nod, but he does and something lifts in Shannon’s chest. Tim lays down in the bed and Shannon circles it to get in on the other side. He flips off the light, but just as he’s getting in, the door to his bedroom opens again, revealing a sleepy looking Jared.

“What’s going on, Shan? I heard voices.”

Shannon gestures down to a rigid Tim on one side of the bed, but then realizes Jared can’t see in the dark.

“Tim had a nightmare, he’s staying with me for the night.”

Jared shifts from one foot to the other uncomfortably, no doubt thinking about his night terrors from his childhood like Shannon had. But Shannon knows how Jared works and he knows how torn up Jared had been all day for not being able to help Tim.

“Wanna stay too? Bed’s big enough for three, I think.”

Jared nods before climbing into the bed and stretching out next to Tim. It’s a squeeze, but Shannon fits himself on the other side of Tim and closes the covers over all of them. He turns his head to look at Tim through the darkness. He can’t imagine what is going on Tim’s his head, but right now he is just glad Tim came to him for comfort and he can help.

The bed moves a little before Jared’s head pops up over Tim’s shoulder. He’s wearing a questioning look on his face and Shannon nods in silent agreement. Whatever Tim wants he gets, no matter how many broken nights it is going to cost.

Tim suddenly starts moving around under the blankets, his hands seeking out a hand of each of them. He pulls their arms over his body, clinging to them tightly. Both brothers shift around a little to get comfortable when it is clear Tim is not letting go anytime soon. They watch Tim close his eyes and drift off into sleep. Without another word, they each close their eyes too, sleep taking them under almost immediately.


	3. Robbed (3)

Shannon is the first to wake up the next morning. When he opens his eyes he is immediately greeted by Tim’s wide-eyed stare. His head is turned to Shannon, the fear that was lodged there all day now disappeared from his eyes. Shannon smiles at Tim and Tim smiles back a little. Tim is still clinging to their arms, but he looks a whole lot better than he did in the middle of the night.

“Hey. Good morning.”

Tim doesn’t answer, just looks at him with that small smile on his face. For a few moments, nothing happens, they just stare at each other. Shannon is unsure of what to do, but then Tim breaks eye contact and goes back to staring at the ceiling. Shannon sighs softly. He had hoped that a night’s rest would shake the worst of Tim’s trauma, make him feel safe, but he looks just as lost as he did yesterday, only better rested.

Shannon closes his eyes, trying to shut out the world for a second and focus. What can they do to help Tim? How can they help him overcome his fears and trauma? Can they even help him at all? He’s pretty sure Tim needs professional help instead of his friends stumbling to take care of him.

Half an hour later Jared wakes up with the sudden feeling someone is watching him. He cracks one eye open and shifts his head to the side to meet Tim’s gaze. Shannon is looking at him too from behind Tim, propped up on one elbow.

“Stop staring at me.”

Shannon laughs and even Tim smiles a little.

“We’ve been awake for some time Jay, it’s about time you woke up.”

Jared stretches his body as far as Tim’s death grip on his arm lets him and yawns.

“What time is it? How long did we sleep?”

“It’s eleven, we slept for ten hours straight.”

Jared blinks a few times, thinking about the past night. He looks at Tim closely. He looks a lot better, he’s even smiling, sort of. The emptiness from the day before has disappeared from his eyes, although he is still clinging to both of them tightly. He looks rested at least, Jared guesses Tim finally got some sleep in between them.

“Did you sleep okay?”

Tim doesn’t respond for a long time, but eventually nods.

“Good. I’m hungry. I’ll go make breakfast. Want coffee?”

Another nod, but nothing more. Jared laughs.

“You’re gonna have to let me go then. I can’t make you those eggs Benedict that you like from here.”

A flash of doubt crosses Tim’s face and he shakes his head hesitantly. Jared figures he wants them to stay close and with the way Tim’s fingers are still digging into his arm - and probably Shannon’s too - he’s not gonna be letting go anytime soon.

“Okay. Uhm. Why don’t we all go downstairs? We’ll all go to the kitchen.”

Hesitantly, Tim nods, but then immediately looks at Shannon.

“Yeah, I’m coming too. Come on.”

The three of them climb out the bed as best as they can with Tim not wanting to let go either of them. Tim keeps hold of their arms until they’re in the kitchen. When he has to let Jared go so he can start breakfast, Tim immediately steps closer to Shannon and reaches out to touch his arm. He doesn’t look frightened anymore, but when either of them go too far away from Tim, he seeks out to touch the other one to make sure they’re not going anywhere.

The entire day they keep close to Tim, never more than a foot away from him. They make sure he showers, eats and gets fresh air, but neither has been able to make Tim speak. The trip to the police station is a disaster; the officer pushed and pushed Tim until he was freaking out and cowering behind Shannon. Not a word came out of him. Jared keeps Tim’s family informed of what is happening and Shannon arranges for a psychiatrist to come by the house and work with Tim the next day. It’s all they can do and it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.

Jared and Shannon try to go about their business as usual, not wanting to focus on what happened too much by constantly asking Tim how he’s doing and if he’s okay. He seems to like that, every now and then asking for something by pointing or a look. It seems to slowly make him crawl out of his shell and put himself back together again. His movements become less slow, his eyes more focused. He is slowly coming out of the dazed state he was living in.

The night is spent in Shannon’s bed again, the three of them together. Tim in the middle, Jared and Shannon pulled close to him. They tried to get Tim to sleep on his own in the guestroom again, but the nightmares had started around 1 am and neither of them had been able to sleep until they were all crammed together again. When they wake the next day and Tim’s gone, they both panic. Jared almost jumps out of bed, followed closely by Shannon.

“Tim?”

“Tim, where are you?”

They run down the stairs to find Tim sitting crossed-legged on the couch in front of the TV. The sound is off so Jared and Shannon have to circle the room to see what he is watching. It is a news report on the robbery. Shannon puts a hand on Tim’s shoulder hesitantly.

“Tim?”

He immediately looks up at Shannon and smiles meekly.

“Are you okay?”

Tim turns his gaze back to the TV where the same news report starts over again.

“I recorded it.”

Jared sits down next to Tim on the couch, all relief of finding him still in the house ruthlessly crushed by Tim’s words. He’s sure it is bad for Tim to watch the news coverage of the robbery over and over again, but Jared doesn’t have the heart to tell him that. Tim looks at ease for the first time since they found him and he can’t take that away from him.

“Why?”

Tim turns his head to look at Jared and blinks a few times before answering, as if he didn’t expect the question. Maybe he didn’t, but Jared really wants to know what is going on in Tim’s head.

“I want to have other memories than mine.”

Tim turns back to the TV, leaving a stunned Jared and Shannon staring at him. They have nothing to say to that, it makes sense as much as it doesn’t make sense. Shannon decides to let it go for now.

“Can I make you some coffee?”

Tim nods and Shannon heads for the kitchen. Jared wants to follow him, but lingers around Tim a bit longer, not knowing if Tim wants him close or not. But when Tim doesn’t look up at all, he slowly walks to the kitchen, half expecting Tim calling out before he is three feet away. But nothing comes and he reaches the kitchen without trouble.

“He okay?”

“Yeah, he let me go without trouble.”

“Good. I think he’s getting back on his feet again.”

Shannon sounds as relieved as he looks.

“You think we should try and talk to him? About what happened? I don’t think it’s good for him to keep watching the news over and over.”

Shannon nods while pouring three cups of coffee.

“I agree, but he just looks so- so relaxed. Maybe this is what he needs.”

He sighs defeatedly.

“Oh, who am I kidding? I don’t know what is good and bad for him. Ugh. Let’s just wait for the shrink to come tomorrow and leave him be until then.”

Jared nods reluctantly. Shannon knows how badly Jared wants - needs - to be let in by Tim and that it frustrates him not being able to help more, but it’s better than forcing Tim to talk about it when they have no clue what they’re doing.

“Come on, coffee’s ready.”

Back in the living room Tim is still sitting in the same position, staring at the tv. He takes the coffee from Shannon without a word or even looking up. When it becomes clear to the two brothers he is not going to say or do anything else, they go about their business of showering, dressing and making Tim shower and dress. Tim immediately hurries back to the tv when he’s done, watching the report over and over again.

At 4 pm, they hear a key in the lock before the door opens and Tomo’s voice calls out through the house.

“Guys?”

Jared pads to the hallway to greet Tomo with a tight hug.

“Hey dude, welcome back. Everything okay back home?”

Tomo hangs up his coat and takes off his shoes before following Jared into the living room.

“Yeah, funeral was yesterday, everyone’s gone home now. How’s Tim?”

Jared sighs. Tim retreated to the guestroom a few hours earlier and had been sitting at the window ever since, staring out at the garden and street.

“I don’t know. He’s upstairs. He won’t talk, he spent the entire morning watching the news report on the robbery, trying to forget his own memories. His words.”

Tomo frowns.

“That doesn’t sound very good.”

“I know. It is killing me, I don’t know what to do anymore. The shrink is coming in tomorrow, his parents too. I just wish he would tell me what’s going on in his head, so I can help. I just want to help.”

“I know Jay, but you can’t force him. Why don’t I go upstairs and see if he’ll talk to me?”

“Yeah. Can you take some food with you for him? He hasn’t eaten since breakfast.”

Tomo takes the plate with a sandwich and a glass of milk upstairs and kicks the door of the guestroom with his foot as a knock before pushing the door open. Tim is sitting in a chair in front of the window, staring out. Tomo looks at him for a few moments before setting down the plate and glass on the dresser. He shakes his head at the sad image his best friend makes. Legs pulled up against his chest, hair hanging in his eyes, pale face.

“Tim?”

Faster than Tomo expected, Tim’s head whips around, his eyes wide in surprise.

“Tome?”

Tomo smiles at Tim.

“Yeah. Sorry I’m late.”

Tim just shakes his head, Tomo’s glad to see a small smile around his lips, and goes back to staring out the window thoughtfully. Tomo grabs another chair and pulls it up beside Tim. Sitting down, he remembers the food he brought.

“I got you lunch. Want some?”

“It’s not your fault, Tomo.”

Tomo swallows. He blames himself and he should have known Tim would know that.

“Yes it is Tim. If I hadn’t…”

But Tim cuts him off.

“No! It is not your fault! Say it! I need you to say it.”

Caught by surprise at the desperation in Tim’s voice he stammers what Tim wants to hear.

“It’s… it’s not my fault.”

Tim turns his head to smile at Tomo.

“Thank you.”

They sit in silence for what seems like hours. Tomo hears Shannon puttering around and Jared strumming on his guitar. He almost jumps when Tim breaks the silence.

“They had guns. They shot her. I slept with Jared and Shannon. Nightmares. Jared made eggs Benedict.”

Tomo smiles a little at Tim’s rambling. Tim’s ready to talk, he just doesn’t know where to begin. It almost sounds like a little boy too excited about his Christmas presents to form coherent sentences to tell anyone about it. He decides to go with the easy parts first.

“Yeah? Jared sure knows how to make those.”

He watches Tim nod with a smile.

“Yeah.”

A silence falls again and Tomo wonders if he should encourage Tim a little. He’s entirely unsure if he’s gonna make things better or words for Tim, but he has to try something.

“How many of them were there, Tim?”

He sees Tim’s body tense and his eyes close. Tim doesn’t respond for a very long time and Tomo has all but given up hope when he answers.

“Four.”

“They had guns?”

“Yeah. Big ones. They shot someone. A girl.”

“Did you know her?”

“No.”

In all honestly, Tomo doesn’t have a clue what he is doing, but he got Tim to talk, so he can’t quit now.

“How are you feeling?”

No answer.

“How many people were in the bank?”

“Twelve. Eight customers and four people working there.”

Right, so facts are okay, emotions not so much. He doesn’t get a chance to ask for more though.

“I need to talk to Jared.”

Tomo watches in confusion as Tim gets up and hurries out the door, downstairs. What happened there?


	4. Robbed (4)

Jared is startled from strumming on his guitar by the front door slamming shut. Seconds after that, he hears heavy footsteps pounding down the stairs, followed by a panicky looking Tomo in the doorway.

“Fuck! He’s not here, is he?”

Tomo’s words makes his stomach drop.

“He ran?”

Tomo nods before sprinting out the door himself.

“Tomo, wait!”

Jared catches up with Tomo on their drive way, stopping him by grabbing his arm.

“Wait, Tome, don’t go running off without a plan.”

But Tomo is panicking. It was his fault Tim got hurt in the first place, he wasn’t there when he ran the first time and now he made him run again. Jared’s hand on his arm isn’t calming at all.

“No, Jay, we can’t waste any time! Who knows where he’s going and I don’t want him to get hurt again! Fuck!”

Shannon bursts out of the house with a wild look in his eyes, interrupting whatever Jared was going to say.

“Is it Tim?”

Jared nods without taking his eyes off Tomo.

“Yeah, he ran again.”

“What happened?”

Tomo sighs deeply, his shoulders sagging.

“I think I pushed him. He started to open up a little and I think I pushed too hard.”

He expects Shannon to start yelling at him, or at least deny the fact it is Tomo’s fault, but he does neither. Instead, he stays quiet for a few moments, face blank. When he speaks, it is not what Tomo or Jared was expecting.

“We should wait. He’ll come back.”

Jared and Tomo stare at Shannon in disbelief.

“Wait? What do you mean wait? We should be looking for him!”

Shannon shakes his head.

“No, we shouldn’t. He needs time to process. When he’s ready, he’ll come back.”

With that, Shannon turns and walks back into the house. Tomo looks at Jared and Jared can see the resolution set in his face.

“I don’t care what he says, I am going to look for Tim.

Jared knows Tomo needs to do this like they needed to do it when Tim went missing the first time, so decides the best thing to do is join Tomo and try and calm him down a little.

“Okay. But I am coming with you. No arguments.”

Tomo nods and starts walking down the street. Jared quickly grabs both their coats from inside the house before following Tomo. It is going to be a long night.

They spend hours wandering the streets of LA, looking for Tim everywhere they can think of. Jared even calls Shannon to ask for the name of the bar he found Tim in days earlier, but Tim isn’t there. Jared finally manages to persuade Tomo to go home with him to get some sleep. When he falls in bed at 3 am, he can’t sleep. His mind is on Tim and where he could be. Is he safe? Is he warm? Is he coming back?

A soft creaking sound wakes Jared from his shallow snooze. He opens his eyes to see his door opening very slowly, a pale hand around the door. He sits up and turns on his small nightlight, making the person behind the door jump slightly and stop all movement.

“Tim? Is that you? Are you okay?”

He watches Tim slip in his room and quietly close the door. He turns around to face Jared. Tears are streaming down his face, but he’s not making a sound at all. Jared jumps out of his bed and hurries to Tim. He scans his face for any sign of pain or discomfort or hurt or… anything. But there’s nothing.

“Tim, are you okay?”

Tim’s voice is calm and almost normal, despite the tears.

“I can’t do this, Jay.”

“Do what?”

“It really did happen, didn’t it?”

Jared sighs.

“I’m afraid so.”

“How do I deal with it?”

“I don’t know. But we all want to try and help you, if you let us.”

Tim looks down at his feet.

“Can you maybe…. Can I stay here for a while? It’s cold out.”

Tim sounds like he’s not staying permanently and Jared doesn’t like that at all, but he doesn’t want to scare Tim off sooner than he plans to leave, so he merely nods and pulls Tim over to his bed to sit down.

“I’m scared Jay. I feel like I’m slipping.”

Jared knocks his shoulder against Tim’s softly.

“You’re not going anywhere. Not if I can help. Or Shannon, or Tomo, or your mom, or your dad-”

Tim snorts humorlessly. Jared takes it as a win though, Tim accepts he’s not alone in this.

“Are you guys angry with me?”

That catches Jared off guard. He moves his head to look at Tim questioningly, but Tim is staring at his hands.

“Why would we be angry with you?”

“You’re stuck with my sorry ass and just try to help and I keep running out on you.”

“Oh no Tim, please don’t think that. We’re not mad at you. And you’re not a burden or anything, we’re your friends and friends help other friends when they’re going through a rough time. Especially when said friend’s family can’t be there right away.”

Tim nods and Jared hopes he’s right in thinking Tim accepts his reasoning. Tim’s always been so good at the poker face and it’s frustrating Jared now too. He wants to shake Tim by the shoulders until it sinks in Jared means what he says.

“You’re really not mad at me?”

“We could never be mad at you. I am sorry if we made you think that.”

A long silence falls. Tim’s fidgeting with his sleeves, Jared can feel he wants to speak but waits patiently for Tim to find the words.

“Am I safe here Jay?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t hate me?”

“We could never hate you, Tim. You’re our friend, we love you.”

“Can I sleep with you tonight? I mean…”

A blush creeps on Tim’s cheeks, making Jared smile a little.

“I know what you mean. And yes, you can sleep here if you want.”

Tim nods and Jared watches him suppress a yawn. He has no idea where Tim went all of those hours, but he must be exhausted.

“Why don’t we lie down now, okay? You’re dead tired and I’m getting cold.”

Jared watches as Tim undresses down to his shirt and boxers and gets under the covers. He then gets in himself and shuffles towards Tim until they’re shoulder to shoulder. He hesitates, but he needs to know.

“Wanna talk about what happened?”

He doesn’t get a response for a long time and he is just about to turn off the light when Tim shifts on his side and looks at Jared. Tim sighs deeply, closing his eyes for a second before starting his story.

“I remember walking in the bank that morning. There was a long line, so I took my number and walked to the coffee machine to get a cup of coffee. It was nearly done when I heard yelling and a gunshot. That was the strangest thing, the smell of freshly grained coffee and the sound of a gun. I turned around to see what was going on and I looked right in the barrel of a gun.”

He chuckles sarcastically.

“You know what the first thought in my mind was?  _Walk right in the sight of a gun, Look into the new future’s face._  I thought of you. He said ‘drop the fucking coffee and strip.’ I didn’t even know what he meant at first. It dawned on me when he ripped my shirt open and yelled ‘strip’ again.”

Jared clenches his teeth together. The bastard pointed a gun at Tim? He ripped the shirt off him himself? He steadies himself with a few breaths, There’s no use getting angry over this now. Not when Tim needs him to be the calm one for a while.

“So I did. I took my clothes off until all I had on was my shirt and boxers, but the guy demanded I take off my shirt too. He then herded me together with the rest of the people in the bank and tied my wrists together with rib-ties. They raided all of our clothes and bags and took our money, phones and anything else of value, I guess.”

Tim’s breath hitches and practically Jared can see the shutters closing. He reaches a hand out and puts it on Tim’s arm, trying to coax him into going on, letting him know it’s safe to go on. Tim closes his eyes for a few moments, obviously gathering his thoughts, before fixing them on Jared’s again.

“There was a lot of talking between the robbers, they had the bank manager clear out the safe and tills and then they tried to leave. That’s when the cops showed up and things went awry. They had us all sit in front of the windows so the cops wouldn’t be able to get a clear shot on one of them, but one girl was hyperventilating so hard she didn’t move fast enough. I tried to help, was already reaching out to steady her, but they shot her. Yelled something about no obeying orders fast enough and they just- they just shot her. She crumpled to the floor, right in front of me. There was blood everywhere. Everywhere. Jesus, Jay, they just shot her!”

Tim falls silent again. He’s breathing harshly, emotions close to the surface, but Jared can feel him fighting it all down. He wants to tell Tim it’s okay to let it out, but some part of him is afraid of what will happen if Tim takes him up on it. Suddenly he is very unsure of himself, of what they’re doing to help Tim and if they should really be talking about any of it.

He’s just about to say something, anything, Tim puts a finger on his lips to prevent him from opening his mouth.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Jared nods and Tim takes his finger away.

“My parents are arriving tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Psychiatrist?”

“Also tomorrow. Before your parents get here though.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

The silence is awkward this time. Jared’s still trying to decide if things are going well or if he should bail or not when Tim blurts out, “make me forget for a while.”

Jared’s confused and it gets even worse when Tim blushes deep red. He doesn’t look away though, simply repeats the request.

“Make me forget for a while.”

There’s a dozen questions he wants to ask, but the most important one is ‘what?’

“I’ve tried everything. Bury it, ignore it, replace my memories, run away from it, talk about it, drown it. Nothing’s helped so far. Help me forget for a while, just so I can pretend it’s not there.”

Jared swallows. He’s not sure what Tim is getting at, but he comes up with nothing but drugging Tim up to the eyeballs or sex. He’s okay with both, but he’s pretty sure they’ll both also fuck Tim up even more. He goes to speak, but Tim silences him again.

“No, let me finish. I just want to pretend everything is normal, I’m not terrified to death and jumpy and scared and that tomorrow will be a normal, boring day. Just- Just help me out.”

“Are you sure-”

“I’m sure.”

“Okay. How?”

Jared hasn’t even fully uttered the last word when Tim’s lips press firmly against his. Tim licks his lips until they open to let his tongue inside and curl around Jared’s. It’s frantic and desperate and extremely hot. Jared feels guilty for focusing on the good, it feels like he should be making Tim feel good instead of just taking it, but Tim pulls back to tell him to quit thinking and get with the program. So he does.

He gives as good as he gets, kisses back as hard as he is being kissed and when Tim wraps an arm around him to pull him closer, he hooks a leg over Tim’s and does the same. He lets his hands roam over Tim’s body, rolls Tim a little so he’s half draped on top of him. He breaks the kiss to search Tim’s face for any kind of bad emotion, but Tim chases his mouth with a soft whine.

“I want this, Jay, come on. Stop thinking. Please.”

It’s a bad idea, a really bad idea, he knows that. He should wake Shannon and Tomo and sit Tim down. Or make him go to the guestroom to get some sleep. He should make Tim talk and face what’s really going on. It’s just that he’s still unsure if he is the person for it. He might fuck Tim up worse than he is now. He might do that anyway, but at least Tim’s on board with the current situation. He doubts Tim will stay if he makes him talk about it. He takes Tim’s advice and shuts his brain up for a while. No more worrying, help Tim, that’s all he needs to think of right now.

“Alright, I got you.”

Tim presses even closer when Jared kisses him again and Jared can him hot and hard against his thigh. He’s pretty sure Tim’s not looking for a quick fuck, he doubts Tim’s even thought that far, but he wants to forget for a few moments and the least Jared can do is get him off with his hands and mouth. He cups Tim through his jeans, making Tim sigh deeply, content. Yeah, this is the right thing to do.

Jared opens the buttons on Tim’s jeans deftly with one hand, the other in Tim’s hair. When there’s room enough, he slips a hand inside and wraps his fingers around Tim. Tim breaks from the kiss so gasp and Jared squeezes a little to pull a moan from Tim’s lips. He sets a slow, firm rhythm, stroking Tim off with hot, sure pulls. He takes Tim’s mouth in a kiss again and Tim starts rutting against him, trying to make him go faster. The kiss turns desperate again, Tim silently asking for more, faster.

By way of complying, Jared slides down Tim’s body and pulls his jeans to his thighs. He wastes no time in swallowing Tim’s length down, tongue curling around the head, cheeks hallowed. Tim lets out a deep groan, his hips buck off the bed in surprise. Jared pins them down with his hands and pulls off Tim to suck on his balls. When he takes Tim back in his mouth, he can feel the moment Tim lets go and forgets the world around him for the first time in 5 days. Every muscle in his body relaxes, the despair seeping away, replaced by lust and want and satisfaction. He lets himself sink into the mattress and lets Jared in control for a while.

Jared lets his tongue swirl around Tim’s cock, occasionally sucking hard before easing off. He wants Tim to loose himself in the sensations, let himself just feel and enjoy. He pulls of Tim and jacks him with a firm hand while wetting two of his fingers before sliding them down Tim’s crack to his hole. Tim tenses up a little, but when Jared sucks him down again, he relaxes and gives in. Jared slowly slides in both fingers at the same time, hoping the burn of two fingers overrides all thought processes. It works, Tim lets out a deep sigh before wiggling his hips to get Jared in deeper.

Jared is more than happy to give him what he wants. He pushes his fingers in deep, fucking Tim slowly. When he rubs the tips over Tim’s prostate, Tim groans loudly and pushes back against Jared’s touch.

“Yeah, fuck, Jay, yeah.”

Tim’s words settle something in Jared he wasn’t aware worrying over. Tim really, actually wants this and from Jared. He went to Shannon when he couldn’t sleep, but he came to Jared for this. He trusts Jared to do this for him. It makes Jared feel better about what he’s doing and he is able to push the doubtful thoughts away for good. Instead, he focuses on making Tim feel so good he won’t have anything on his mind for a few blessed moments.

It doesn’t take long to get Tim writhing under his touches. Tim’s hand palms the back of his head encouragingly and Jared can feel his fingers tightening when he’s close to orgasm. He slips in a third finger in and tugs on Tim’s balls with his other hand. Tim’s fingers clench painfully in his hair and then his mouth floods with warm, sticky seed. Tim groans loudly again - Shannon and Tomo are sure to be woken up by that one -, riding out the waves of pleasure before releasing a long breath.

Jared doesn’t let Tim slip from his mouth until he’s gone entirely soft. He crawls up the bed and flops down next to Tim, studying his face for as long as Tim lets him. He looks a little less stressed, a little more relaxed, but Jared knows it short lived. He counts the minutes until Tim opens his eyes and the frown between his eyebrows returns. Seven.

“Don’t go.”

Tim sighs, but this time it sounds troubled, regretful. He doesn’t answer, but gets up from the bed and pulls up his jeans. He straightens his clothes, he didn’t even get his coat off, before turning to Jared on the bed. He forces a smile to his face, but it hurts Jared more than Tim will ever know.

“Thanks. I- I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Don’t go. Please.”

Tim shakes his head.

“I have to. I can’t- I just have to. I’ll be alright. I’m not running away again.”

Jared nods. He really, really doesn’t want Tim to go, but he knows he can’t stop him.

“Okay. Be careful. 1 pm.”

Tim nods and then he’s gone. Not running this time, just taking a walk. Not running anymore. Maybe if Jared keeps repeating it to himself, he’ll convince himself in the end.


End file.
